POINT PLEASANT — Future Farmers of America members had the opportunity to design and test their own agriculture experiment with the Mason County Career Center’s first agriscience fair Thursday.

According to FFA adviser Sam Nibert, the top two students in each category will advance to the state fair, which will take place in July at Cedar Lakes in Ripley. If members win at the state level, they will advance to the national fair, which is set for October in Indianapolis, Ind.

The agriscience fair was open to all FFA members in grades seven though 12. There are four divisions in which FFA members compete, including Division I, grades 7-9; Division II, grades 10-12; Division III, teams of two students in grades 7-9; and Division IV, teams of two students in grades 10-12.

FFA members competed in five categories, which include Biochemistry/Microbiology/Food Science; Environmental Sciences; Zoology (Animal Sciences); Botany (Plant/Soil Science); and Engineering (Mechanical/Agricultural Engineering Science).

Nibert said the agriscience fair helps teach students several life skills.

“(The agriscience fair) creates leadership skills and enhances public speaking and research skills, and all of this is related to the agriculture industry,” Nibert said.

He added that students must have a bibliography and display board to accompany their project. In addition, they must form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment and be able to form a conclusion. Project topics must be agriculture related. Nibert described the agriscience fair as coinciding with advances in agriculture.

“The agriculture sector is overwhelming where agriculture technology is leading today,” he said. “There are school buses in West Virginia that are running on bio diesel formulated by FFA students.”

Students presented their projects in front of two judges as well as their fellow students. According to Nibert, this was done to help the students with public speaking as well as give them a chance to take constructive criticism from their peers and the judges.

“It helps them to get different ideas on what other students are doing on their projects and gives them more to cover,” Nibert said.

Mason County West Virginia University Extension Agent Rodney Wallbrown and Keith Burdette, West Virginia Department of Education’s lead coordinator of agriculture, science and natural resources, served as judges. Both offered advice to students regarding their project topic, display board and personal appearance.

According to Nibert, Burdette works with the state level fair and inspired Nibert to have the career center’s first agriscience fair.

“I went to the state convention and saw only three entries at the state (agriscience fair). I felt like this was an area where we could go in and win a contest,” he said.

Nibert added that if students win at the state competition, the state will help pay for some of the expense to send the students to the national agriscience fair.

Students were awarded first, second and third place trophies following the fair’s conclusion. Participants were Shawn Absten, Jay Baker, James Berry, Wesley Davis, Amanda Hannon, Kristen Hannon, Dale Hughes, Larry Luckeydoo, Jessica Smith, Josie Smith, Sam Stearns, Cody Whalen and Evan Wilson.